June 27, 2008 2:57PM # Shall. Not. Be. Infringed. By [Michael F. Cannon](https://www.cato.org/people/michael-f-cannon) --- SHARE To echo Tim Lynch’s previous [post](https://www.cato.org/2008/06/27/good-day-for-the-bill-of-rights/) … [Bob Levy](https://www.cato.org/people/levy.html), [Alan Gura](http://www.gurapossessky.com/attorneys/gura.html), Dick Heller, and the other original [plaintiffs](https://www.cato.org/people/tom-palmer) in *[District of Columbia v. Heller](https://www.cato.org/gunban)* are to be commended for securing a landmark Supreme Court [ruling](http://www.scotusblog.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/07-290.pdf) affirming that the [Second Amendment](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution) protects the right of law abiding individuals to keep and bear arms. It’s silly and sad that we needed such a ruling, and we should not forget the uncertainty and the threats to liberty that were made possible by so much constitutional revisionism over the past 40 years. Levy and Gura deserve special recognition for their foresight and courage in pursuing this ruling despite considerable resistance. That resistance came from a lot of people, with a lot of knowledge about the Second Amendment and the Supreme Court, a lot of influence, and a lot at stake in the outcome. They argued [this cause shouldn’t be pursued now](http://www.tomgpalmer.com/archives/022501.php), and they said [it should be pursued by someone else](http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=25482). Levy and Gura, as it were, stuck to their guns. They have been vindicated, and we owe them big. Praise is also due [many](http://davekopel.com/2A/Mags/10-on-the-Second.pdf) such as [Sanford Levinson](http://www.guncite.com/journals/embar.html), [Robert J. Cottrol](https://www.cato.org/issues/articleid.17057/article_detail.asp), and [Stephen Halbrook](http://www.stephenhalbrook.com/), whose honest, careful scholarship ultimately defeated a very appealing myth. Indeed, a good [week](http://www.stephenhalbrook.com/) for the Bill of Rights. ##### Related Tags [General](https://www.cato.org/general), [Government and Politics](https://www.cato.org/government-politics), [Constitutional Law](https://www.cato.org/constitutional-law), [Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies](https://www.cato.org/robert-levy-center-constitutional-studies) [![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).